Gregory Lazan and his wife, Willa Kahn, both of Worcester, were about 24 miles into a 38-mile bike ride recently when he flatted.

Lazan popped off the tire and tube, inspected both and found a hole in the tube but no culprit in the tire. He then proceeded to replace the tube, pump up the tire and continue with the ride.

About a half mile later, Lazan's rear tire went flat again. Lazan could have used his patch kit to repair the tube, but he was a bit suspicious about the tire.

As he considered his options, he recalled the AAA Southern New England newsletter he had received just the day before. The auto club had announced it was offering bike service for any AAA member stranded on the road.

"I remembered the AAA article. So I called them on my cellphone, and they agreed to come and get me," said Lazan, who was on Route 68 in Rutland, near the intersection with River Road.

Since AAA would only transport the stranded cyclist, his wife headed back to Wachusett Mountain Ski Area, where they had parked their car and started the ride. He waited for AAA to bring him and his bike back to the lot.

Lazan said the AAA-dispatched pickup truck arrived about an hour later and took him back to the ski area, which was a little less than 10 miles away.

The AAA Southern New England bike service program started this month. The auto club will provide free roadside assistance to any member, no signup or enrollment is required.

According to the new program, AAA members can receive two bicycle calls a year, and the club will transport the member and the bike up to 10 miles for free; after 10 miles, the cost is $4 per mile in the Worcester area. Service is provided only along normally traveled roads, and not paved bikeways or trails.

Bicycle service is provided for the rider whose bike is disabled and any accompanying minors. Tandem bikes are not eligible.

"More people are riding bikes. It just made sense to extend what we do for cars for bicycles," said David Raposa, managing director of public affairs for AAA Southern New England.

Raposa said in the first week of the program, AAA Southern New England received about one or two calls a day.

"We expect as the temperatures get warmer and more people ride in the summer, we'll get more calls," he said.

When Lazan made the call to AAA, he said, the dispatcher seemed a bit surprised that someone was requesting bike service and he was put on hold while the dispatcher checked on how to handle the new program.

"It's good to know it's there just in case. It was a funny coincidence the day after we get the newsletter, I had to call them and use it," he said.

Lazan admitted that it may have taken about the same amount of time if his wife rode to the ski area and drove back to pick him up as it did for AAA to respond. However, he said if a cyclist is stranded on the road, the bike service is a great option.

"If I had the flat in some remote place, or if I had been by myself, I could see how this could have been very useful," Lazan said.

Lazan said he took the tire to Bicycle Alley in Worcester, and the bike shop confirmed there was a hole in the sidewall of the tire and it had to be replaced.

"The whole concept of this is sharing the road, to make both drivers and riders think about sharing the road safely," Raposa said. "Obviously we are best known for what we do for cars, but we have long participated in bike safety. It's part of the AAA traffic safety mission. This just, hopefully, brings it to a higher profile and brings out that share the road message."

Raposa said AAA Southern New England is also hoping to expand bike service.

He said the organization would like to create a bike repair network similar to its auto repair network program, with AAA approved bike shops. According to Raposa, AAA Southern New England could form a partnership with bike shops. He said members would be encouraged to use those shops for repairs and members would get a discount at the shop. The AAA bike assistance program could drop off bikes at those shops when they are picked up with mechanical problems on the road. He said the program would benefit cyclists and bike shops.

"It could be a nice package if we can put it together. It may enhance the program even more," Raposa said. "It could be the next thing."

Regal ride at Quabbin

Century riders will tackle about 6,000 feet of climbing at the annual King's Tour of the Quabbin on June 8.

Presented by Seven Hills Wheelmen, the popular recreational ride offers three options: a double metric century, which is 200 kilometers or 125 miles; a century, 100 miles; and a metric century, 100 kilometers or 62 miles. All three courses start at Naquag Elementary School on Route 122A (Main Street) in Rutland.

The 100-mile route includes about 6,000 feet of climbing and features a loop around the Quabbin Reservoir. The double metric century is a longer ride, but some say it is easier than the century because the loop covers gentler grades and the 100-mile route includes about 20 miles of tough roller-coaster hills along Route 202 on the west side of the Quabbin Reservoir.

The best view of the Quabbin Reservoir may be the second rest stop of the century in Ware. The Quabbin Hill lookout gives riders a chance to see the expanse of the Quabbin Reservoir, one of the largest man-made water supplies in the country.

From Rutland, all the routes head uphill on Route 122 to Barre and then clockwise around the Quabbin Reservoir. The metric century splits off in Ware, with a spectacular downhill return to Hardwick via the covered bridge in the Gilbertville section of Hardwick. The metric century riders then enjoy a flat stretch of Route 32 into South Barre before the final climbs in Oakham and Rutland.

The century and double metric century riders climb from Route 9 to the lookout tower in the Quabbin Reservation at the 44-mile mark, then descend to Belchertown, where the two long routes diverge. The century riders face 20 miles of roller-coaster hills heading north on Route 202, while the double metric course heads into Amherst and loops back through Shutesbury and Wendell with some easier terrain.

The annual Quabbin ride began about 20 years ago when Dick "The King" Avery was challenged by a few friends in Seven Hills Wheelmen. The ride has grown from two or three dozen riders to nearly 300.

The metric century (62 miles) begins at 9 a.m., the century (100 miles) at 8 a.m. and the double metric century (125 miles) at 7 a.m. Cue sheets are available for the arrowed routes, and snacks are provided, including watermelon, after the ride.

Preregistration is available at www.sevenhillswheelmen.org/quabbin by June 3. The preregistration cost is $15 for Seven Hills members, $20 for nonmembers, and the day-of-event cost is $20 for members, $25 for nonmembers.

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